Foreigners you’ll meet in Qatar
Filipinos
There’s a huge Filipino community in Qatar and most of them work in the service industry. If you walk into a retail store, supermarket or café, you’ll almost certainly be served by someone from the Philippines. And there’s a good chance they’ll be singing, because, for whatever reason, they all really, really love to sing.
They’re also extremely diligent. Most Filipinos are here to earn money for families back home. That means they work multiple jobs and live in shared accommodation. They’re usually picked up in company shuttle buses in the morning, driven to work, then picked up and driven to their second (or third job) later that same day.
There are entire neighbourhoods dedicated to the local Filipino community and you’ll often find them hanging around Al Sadd in the evenings, which has multiple Filipino grocery stores and fried chicken places. You’ll also find them on dating websites and at Filipino-designated hotel bars — which you should definitely check out, because the drinks are a lot cheaper than elsewhere and the crowd is a wonderfully flamboyant mix of gay men, prostitutes and western expats behaving disgracefully.
Generic Middle East Expats
The Middle Eastern expats can be broken down into three distinct groups: the Lebanese, the Sudanese, and the Egyptians. And while this book hopes to avoid culturally-insensitive stereotypes, that’s pretty much what we’re going to do here. Sorry in advance.
Let’s starts with the Lebanese, because as a mix of Muslim and Christian culture on the edge of the Mediterranean they see themselves as a distinct entity. And they’re mostly correct in that regard.
The Lebanese have no time for the puritanical modesty of the Arab world, and have one of the highest rates of breast augmentation surgery in the world. You can always spot a Lebanese woman because she’ll be the one wearing high heels, tight clothing and extremely heavy make-up in a sea of abayas. The men will always have two packets of Marlboro cigarettes and multiple phones in their hand at any given moment. Even in their sleep.
You’ll find the local Lebanese community hanging out at nightclubs, hotel bars and Mercedes dealerships. They will often work for semi-legit financial services companies and try to sell you a timeshare.
The Sudanese (and North Africans) are a lot less fun and a lot more insular. The community tends to stick together and do its own thing away from prying eyes. They tend to work in a lot of administrative roles or security gigs. They do not socialise with the western expats; they are a mystery wrapped in a riddle that you will never understand.
The Egyptians, and other Arabs from neighbouring countries, tend to make up the merchant class. They’re the ones importing and exporting goods, selling used Land Cruisers, starting businesses and the like. They’re also the only ones who will openly call out a Qatari about their bullshit. Which doesn’t really help you much, but it’s good to know.
South Asian Labourers
As far as the general public is concerned these poor bastards are invisible. Which is really just a coping mechanism for the gross inequality they represent.
After all, it’s much easier to ignore the workers than think about the fact they earn around $300 USD a month, live in shared accommodation, and are actively discriminated against by all aspects of Qatari society.
In 2012 the government passed laws that forbid ‘bachelors’ (as they’re locally known), from living in residential areas. They’re also ‘discouraged’ from entering local shopping malls, public parks and anywhere else their wretched poverty might inconvenience the locals. After all, you don’t sit down for dinner with ‘the help’, and you certainly don’t shop at the same store.
To help alleviate the guilt and awkwardness associated with the local labour force, Qatar has constructed a series of mini cities for them to inhabit out in the desert. Places like ‘Labour City’ have their own shopping centre, sports fields, entertainment options and high density housing, to help keep the South Asians contained and away from the general population.
How the labour force feels about all of this is mystery, since no one has ever thought to ask them. That’s okay though, because white people have been happy to jump in and project their own feelings in various ‘think pieces’ for The Guardian and suchlike.
The European Aristocrats
Hang around in Doha long enough and you’ll eventually stumble across the European aristocrat crowd. While they might look like every other expat at first glance, spend a few minutes talking to them and they’ll start to drop hints about their privileged upbringing.
Oh, you play Polo? You were an amateur bullfighter in Spain? Your father is an advisor to a government minister? You spent a year studying acting in New York? You’re interning for the Italian ambassador?
Money is never mentioned; it doesn’t have to be. The rich have their own way of identifying each other. This can be a little intimidating if you grew up in middle class suburbia (or worse); because suddenly your childhood starts to look like a Charles Dickens novel.
Since you can’t beat these people on their own terms, your best bet is to go the exact opposite route, and talk up your poverty. With a little imagination you can turn a white picket fence and family camping trips into an urban wasteland of roaming gangs, guns and drugs.
Rich kids like slumming it from time to time. The fact these people are in Doha means they obviously have a weird bent for chaos and bad infrastructure. And hey, just like every boy band needs a ‘troubled rebel’ (shout outs to Donnie Wahlberg), every crew of rich aristocrat kids in Doha needs someone from the wrong side of the tracks.
Besides, it’s a great way to meet new and interesting people with all kinds of connections. Play your cards right and you’ll be rubbing shoulders with people who can afford to bankroll your 30-second elevator pitch.
All of which is terribly cynical and probably better suited to sociopaths. But, you get the idea. Besides, if it’s good enough for J. Gatsby then it’s good enough for you.
You can find more tips on living and working in Qatar in my book — God Willing: How to survive expat life in Qatar.